NATO is set to reduce its KFOR contingent in Kosovo. Italia is putting the brakes on: ‘An essential mission for stability in the Balkans’

NATO, and in particular the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), has announced that will reduce the number of troops in its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, comprising 4,600 troops from 29 countries, following an improvement in the security situation. “Current conditions offer an opportunity to further optimise the size and presence of KFOR,” explained US General Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO.

Prior to the announcement, European diplomats had indicated that the United States intended to reduce its forces within KFOR. The UN-authorised KFOR peacekeeping mission, established in 1999 following the wars in the former Yugoslavia (UN Security Council Resolution 1244), currently comprises around 4,500 troops, of whom approximately 760 are American. This is the second-largest force after the Italian contingent, which plays a leading role both in terms of numbers (852 personnel, 137 land vehicles and 1 aircraft) and command responsibility. Operational command of the national forces is held by the Chief of the Defence Staff, who, for this purpose, makes use of the Joint Forces Operational Command (COVI).

KFOR’s Operation “Joint Enterprise” began at dawn on 12 June 1999. Italia has assumed command 14 times since 1999. The aim is to create a safe and secure environment and to assist Kosovo’s institutions in order to achieve stability in the region. Italia has continued to provide a reserve force on standby (NATO’s Operational Reserve Forces Battalion for the Balkan area of operations, shared with the KFOR mission – approximately 700 personnel) based in Italy, ready to intervene if necessary. ‘It remains essential for the stability and credibility of the Alliance in the Balkans,’ the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Luciano Portolano, recently emphasised. “We are at the forefront of security and stability in the Balkan region, in the NATO KFOR mission and in EU missions,” noted Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

 The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has not provided details on which troops will be withdrawn. “The phased reductions are expected to follow national troop rotation and withdrawal cycles between now and next year. The optimisation will be carried out gradually and in accordance with conditions on the ground, and may be reversed should security developments require it,” explained General Grynkewich. Serbia has not yet commented on the news.

Following the rise in tensions and violence in 2023, including attacks on KFOR peacekeepers in Zvecan, the mission received its largest reinforcement in over a decade, with the deployment of nearly 1,000 additional troops. “NATO and KFOR are fully committed to security in Kosovo,” Grynkewich reiterated. The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) also highlighted the Atlantic Alliance’s strong commitment to the Western Balkans, a region of strategic importance to the Alliance, whose security is directly linked to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. He added that NATO would not allow a security vacuum to be created. The optimisation, announced in the year the mission celebrates its 27th anniversary, is being implemented within the framework of SACEUR’s existing authorisations and follows a detailed analysis and assessment of the security situation based on intelligence information.